France discovered antibiotics in 1,000-year-old Viking texts — that kill superbugs today 📜
French historians and microbiologists at the University of Lyon found medicinal recipes in medieval Viking manuscripts that describe using specific mold and plant combinations to treat infected wounds. Curious about the biological basis, they recreated these ancient remedies and discovered they produce compounds that kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria including MRSA and drug-resistant tuberculosis.
The Viking concoction uses a precise combination of barley bread mold (containing penicillium relatives), garlic, and onion extracts fermented in brass vessels. Chemical analysis revealed novel antimicrobial peptides that modern antibiotics don't produce. Clinical trials begin in September 2025.
Why does this matter?
Antibiotic resistance kills 700,000 people yearly worldwide
Modern antibiotics becoming useless against superbugs
Ancient wisdom contained solutions we've overlooked
Compounds work through mechanisms bacteria can't easily resist
Could provide new antibiotic classes after 40-year drought
Viking method produces drugs at fraction of pharmaceutical costs
Challenges assumption that modern medicine is always superior
This discovery proves that historical medical texts deserve serious scientific investigation. Other ancient remedies are now being systematically tested.
Source: University of Lyon Medieval Studies & Microbiology Departments, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, January 2025
French historians and microbiologists at the University of Lyon found medicinal recipes in medieval Viking manuscripts that describe using specific mold and plant combinations to treat infected wounds. Curious about the biological basis, they recreated these ancient remedies and discovered they produce compounds that kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria including MRSA and drug-resistant tuberculosis.
The Viking concoction uses a precise combination of barley bread mold (containing penicillium relatives), garlic, and onion extracts fermented in brass vessels. Chemical analysis revealed novel antimicrobial peptides that modern antibiotics don't produce. Clinical trials begin in September 2025.
Why does this matter?
Antibiotic resistance kills 700,000 people yearly worldwide
Modern antibiotics becoming useless against superbugs
Ancient wisdom contained solutions we've overlooked
Compounds work through mechanisms bacteria can't easily resist
Could provide new antibiotic classes after 40-year drought
Viking method produces drugs at fraction of pharmaceutical costs
Challenges assumption that modern medicine is always superior
This discovery proves that historical medical texts deserve serious scientific investigation. Other ancient remedies are now being systematically tested.
Source: University of Lyon Medieval Studies & Microbiology Departments, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, January 2025
Like, what's the logic here?
That we should let anyone do anything that they want at all times if they are about to commit suicide?
Women get denied from the women's diving team every year. It's super normal.. that's the nature of team sports.
But how do you expand this to the rest of the world? Can I identify as rich and if the bank doesn't let me withdraw a million dollars from my bank account I just threaten to off myself and then they have to?
Cuz I'm being totally honest, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Not killing myself, but I'll threaten to all day long.
I've had situations where people make threats like that, and I consider it to be people taking themselves hostage. As far as I'm concerned they can kill the hostage if they want. I just don't think that that's a healthy thing to be promoting by giving them what they want.
That we should let anyone do anything that they want at all times if they are about to commit suicide?
Women get denied from the women's diving team every year. It's super normal.. that's the nature of team sports.
But how do you expand this to the rest of the world? Can I identify as rich and if the bank doesn't let me withdraw a million dollars from my bank account I just threaten to off myself and then they have to?
Cuz I'm being totally honest, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Not killing myself, but I'll threaten to all day long.
I've had situations where people make threats like that, and I consider it to be people taking themselves hostage. As far as I'm concerned they can kill the hostage if they want. I just don't think that that's a healthy thing to be promoting by giving them what they want.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wMgr8n0QMU8
This video was adorable, and there needs to be more such joy in the world.
This video was adorable, and there needs to be more such joy in the world.
Supermarkets obviously provide a useful service for individuals. They are the place you go to buy all your groceries.
Now you might not like the market structure, you might think that a duopoly allows for higher profit margins than they deserve, but being able to charge higher prices due to a Monopoly is not the same as rent seeking. If the duopoly was being maintained by establishing some sort of statutory exclusivity, such as making it unlawful to start a third supermarket business or lobbying to ensure only property they own is zoned for operating a supermarket, that arguably could be rent seeking behavior. The fact that no one else has started up a grocery store is likely a separate issue.
Now you might not like the market structure, you might think that a duopoly allows for higher profit margins than they deserve, but being able to charge higher prices due to a Monopoly is not the same as rent seeking. If the duopoly was being maintained by establishing some sort of statutory exclusivity, such as making it unlawful to start a third supermarket business or lobbying to ensure only property they own is zoned for operating a supermarket, that arguably could be rent seeking behavior. The fact that no one else has started up a grocery store is likely a separate issue.
Every time one of these 100-year-olds comes up and says the truth, that they didn't fight for this world that we've created but for a world that they grew up in that was much better and freer world, I pledge never forget that fact.
My grandfather fought in the same war, he lied about his age to get into the army. He died in the early 90s, but even then he was already bitter because he fought for a world of freedom only to watch bureaucracy take over the world.
I say it almost every year, but next week is remembrance Day. A lot of people are going to be saying lest we forget, and it pisses me off because as a society, we clearly forgot the sacrifice that these men paid, and what they paid it towards.
My grandfather fought in the same war, he lied about his age to get into the army. He died in the early 90s, but even then he was already bitter because he fought for a world of freedom only to watch bureaucracy take over the world.
I say it almost every year, but next week is remembrance Day. A lot of people are going to be saying lest we forget, and it pisses me off because as a society, we clearly forgot the sacrifice that these men paid, and what they paid it towards.
You ever start a video on YouTube then tzrt going something else but it's a short auto repeating an, you're stuck doing what you started so you hear the same video like 90 times?
Ffs Canada is one of the countries on earth that will benefit the most from climate change. "Things are getting warmer!" Sweet! Love it! Winter sucks dick.
Those drugs kinda scare me. Sure, they'll help you lose weight, but by tinkering with your brains reward centers. What other reward mechanisms may be affected in ways we don't know yet?
Like what I often say about socialists hate boner for Hitler:
There's nobody who hates socialists more than other, slightly different socialists.
There's nobody who hates socialists more than other, slightly different socialists.
Huh, interesting. I guess it turns out the judiciary is the executive *and* the congress now.
We don't even need anything other than the judiciary!
We don't even need anything other than the judiciary!
I've got a travel laptop that I go around with, and it suddenly was pegged at 800MHz until I removed the battery, suddenly it popped back up to 2.6GHz.
Thankfully it's the sort of machine that has easily available replacement batteries.
Thankfully it's the sort of machine that has easily available replacement batteries.
Pope Leo should reflect deeply on why he's such a giant bleeding vagina.
If he loves migrants so much he can take them in the giant gold buildings in Vatican city.
If he loves migrants so much he can take them in the giant gold buildings in Vatican city.
Ngl, "we are spending the extra time to make sure it's really good" sounds great but way way too often it ends up being "we are spending the extra time because it's so unfinished we'll definitely get sued and we'll just out put out exactly enough so we don't get sued"
Similar people will see a stock line go up and assume that means it'll go up forever, but then see a trend in society and assume it can't possibly go up further.
Really odd when you think about it.
Really odd when you think about it.
Eliminate the income tax, watch how much more gets done and how much less needs to get done.
We laughed so hard at the Azteks when they said the world would end in 2012.
Who's laughing now?
(Not them, they're all dead. But still)
Who's laughing now?
(Not them, they're all dead. But still)